Wayne Gretzky was the talent that symbolized the Edmonton Oilers' domination of the NHL in the mid 1980s, but 'Mess' surely was its driving spirit.

He was an intimidating presence from the moment he arrived in the NHL in 1979-80. When Edmonton's five Cups between 1984-90 were complete, he took his act to Broadway, as the inspiration for the Rangers first Cup in 54 years.

He played five more seasons than Gretzky and currently ranks second to No. 99 in NHL points with 1,887. Messier, elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, also played a huge role on several World Cup and Canada Cup teams.

lance.hornby@sunmedia.ca

CAROLINE BRUNET

Brunet first dipped a paddle at age 11 and fell in love with kayaking.

Just eight years later, the Quebec City native was on the Canadian national team, with a large assist from her first trainer, Denis Barre.

In 1988, she captured the first of many national titles in the K-1 500 metres, qualifying for the Seoul Olympics just a month later. By 1996 in Atlanta, she was a silver medallist, the nation's first in the sport since 1984, the first of her three podium placings. She was the flag bearer at the 2000 games in Sydney.

At the world championships, she won a bronze in 1993.

and went on to eight gold, four silver, and three bronze, unrivalled in the history of Canadian kayaking.

JOHN CAMPBELL

On July 12, 2008, Campbell won his 10,000th race as a driver, at the reins of the aptly named Share the Delight.

The London, Ont.-born Campbell, the third generation of a famous racing family, is harness racing's all-time leading driver in earnings.

When the Meadowlands was built in 1976, a new breed called catch-drivers emerged, in a sport where owners or trainers had done the majority of riding.

Younger and lighter, they brought more speed and strategy to the race and none fared better than Campbell, who was a winner at age 17 at Western Raceway in London. and as a 35-year-old in 1990, was the youngest driver ever elected to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. That was a year before he broke the $100 million plateau in lifetime purses. He also won the famous Hambletonian six times and had 42 Breeders Crown victories.

KEN SHIELDS

Order of Canada winner Shields could drape every window of a mansion with the banners from a stellar coaching career.

The legendary leader of the University of Victoria's men's team won seven Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles and more games than any coach in the country.

Joining UVIC after serving briefly at Laurentian, Shields' program during the 1980s and '90s was so good that NCAA Division 1 schools took notice, as the Canadians won about half their exhibitions.

Shields also coached the men's national team from 1990-1994 and helped with national programs in Japan. Australia and Georgia and was a guest coach with the NBA Milwaukee Bucks. He has already been inducted to the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

ANGELA JAMES

James could not only drive to the net, she paved the way for hundreds and perhaps thousands of Canadian girls and women to break into male-dominated contact hockey.

From street hockey with the boys in her Toronto neighbourhood to dominating the OCAA with Seneca College and the local women's leagues, she was called the female Greztky.

When the women's world championship became a reality in 1992, James helped Canada's gold-medal effort in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997, though in a controversial move, was not selected for the 1998 Olympics.

But playing into her late 30s, she continued to rack up points.

The only African-Canadian to captain a national team, she was among the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

HUGH CAMPBELL

As a wide receiver 'Gluey Hughie' was part of Ron Lancaster's 1966 Grey Cup title team with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But it was not to be Campbell's only taste of CFL success.

After retiring in 1969, he came back as a coach in 1977, to take the Eskimos to the Grey Cup, losing in the Ice Bowl to Montreal, but then reeling off five straight titles.

A brief head coaching stint in the NFL followed before Campbell returned to manage the Esks and play various roles at the league level in modernizing the Canadian game. He stayed 20 years until his retirement in 2006.

WARREN MOON

The CFL provided a training ground for American quarterbacks who might not have been given a second glance by the NFL and few grasped the opportunity as Moon did.

Joining an already dominant Edmonton Eskimos club in 1978 after a great career at the University of Washington, he was the offensive catalyst for six seasons, including five consecutive Grey Cups from 1978-82.

Moon could pass, run and was one of the most exciting players of the era.

In his final CFL season in 1983, Moon tossed for a league-record 5,648 yards.

and was the CFL's outstanding player. His feats didn't escape notice south of the border. Starting in 1984, a 16-year career took him through Houston, Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City.

In a 2006 TSN poll to name the top 50 CFLers of all time, Moon was ranked fifth.